10 Ways to Turn a Construction Pallet Into Beautiful Decor

Okay, it's not exactly decorating. But when you can make an entire house out of pallets while aiding those suffering through a humanitarian crisis, it deserves a mention.

One of the cruxes of refugee camps and situational housing is that while living conditions are supposedly temporary, they still might be the primary location for a person or family for years, or even decades. That translates to tents, or building materials that can be easily salvaged in the area. Not always safe, and certainly not cozy.

While attempting to brainstorm transitional housing for Kosovo refugees, two architects hit on a recyclable, cheap and easy to get idea: construction pallets. They designed a roughly 250 sq foot home that takes about 100 pallets and less than a week to build from easy-to-understand instructions [source: Dirksen].

Unfortunately, the houses, like many designs for transitional housing, have yet to be put to use at actual camps. However, go online and for $75, you can purchase PDF plans, instructions, material lists and other resources for building your own pallet haven [source: I-Beam Design].